


A Hard Day's Night

by theredwitchling



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theredwitchling/pseuds/theredwitchling
Summary: In the end, they both had been glad for their second chances with their respective children, but it didn’t make it any easier either, for death was a fickle bitch when she wanted to be and anyone allying themselves with the Winchester name was practically signing their death warrant the minute they met.Spoilers for 14x18 "Absence"





	A Hard Day's Night

Mary Winchester was gone. Truly good and gone.

She couldn’t say she was surprised, not deep down anyway, nobody around those boys lived long and healthy lives when it came down to it, but being the one to have to break their poor hearts over the phone gnawed at her in a way she didn’t know how to give words to.

This must have been what it was like when they broke the news to her about her son, this sort of dread and shared loss, it didn’t seem all that long ago either and yet...

They hadn’t been friends, not in the slightest, but they understood each other in a way, maybe as mothers do, and came to realize the other had no ill will towards them and that was enough. On occasion they would trade stories, once Rowena gave her a tip on a small bit of protection magic should she need it.

Otherwise, from what she had gathered from Samuel, his mother hadn’t gotten the greatest cards in the deck and her life had been cut short the first time far too soon. Mary had difficulty embracing the second chance and Rowena could understand and admire that, what with having several do overs herself at this point. It wasn’t easy coming back from the dead to find everything’s gone on without you.

In the end, they both had been glad for their second chances with their respective children, but it didn’t make it any easier either, for death was a fickle bitch when she wanted to be and anyone allying themselves with the Winchester name was practically signing their death warrant the minute they met.

Yet she was still here and Mary was not and Rowena felt for the boys, it was twisting inside of her as she cleaned up her flat after her wee boy's tantrum. Despite watching Jack struggle with whatever might be going on in his head and having to wield the striking blow of bad news she’d set forth on both Sam and Dean, she still wanted to help. Cautiously of course but still.

She cared for them and Michael had called her right out on it. As thick in it as Fergus had been in the end, she hadn’t understood what it was then but she did now and **oh** , it was so bittersweet. And so hypocritical that it ached in her bones. Jack clearly could have killed her while Michael had been inside of her and she wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing about it but wait as her body tried to painfully restore itself but he didn’t and he didn’t again tonight, he just - pushed her away. Literally.

Maybe he knew she was just trying to help and maybe it was the guilt over Mary that saved her, maybe it was something else. She was thankful all the same. Two people gone from the lives of the Winchester's in the blink of an eye, one beloved and one... on mostly good terms at the moment, would not have done a thing to help what happened with Jack next. Whatever that may be.

Rowena was counting her lucky stars, her pagan gods, Chuck even, that she’d made it out. The Winchester’s were racking up favours out of her like bats out of hell but as long as she kept breathing she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to cash them in. She’d gotten what she had originally wanted from them, from Sam, and now that she’d had her reassurances and promises of going home at days end from the youngest Winchester, she did sometimes sleep the night through now.

A soft knock on the door made her pause throwing all the broken bits in the bin and after grabbing a small hex bag padded carefully towards the door. Rowena didn’t think it would be Jack, not this soon, but she also hadn’t been expecting him earlier either. Opening it just enough to peer through, her sight line came straight to a broad, plaid clothed chest and with that mystery sorted she stepped aside as Sam slowly made his way into her flat, a small bag slung over his shoulder and a lost look on his beautiful face.

It almost broke her heart, almost.

“I’m sorry for just dropping by but uh, I couldn’t - it’s so quiet and Dean’s not taking her being gone well and he needed some space so I had Cas... Can I just, sit?” That explained the lack of rumbling vehicle at least. Under normal circumstances she would hesitate before letting anyone stay the night, this settling down or whatever she was doing here was new and it was hers and she was loathe to break that but she’d seen Sam look this distraught before, with the Mark, after Charlie, when Gabe... after he had comforted her many a time, how could she turn him away?

Getting him settled on the couch for now, at his own stubborn insistence, and handing him a cup of tea the two of them sat in silence for a time, soaking in the small comfort of each other and internally reflecting on the day's events. Eventually, she glanced over at him and frowned, a sad and tired looking man staring back at her and before she could utter any sort of condolences two large arms enveloped her and pulled her close, their knees knocking together clumsily as her own arms wrapped themselves around Sam’s neck with a small squeeze.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered into her neck and she knew he meant it, given what they’d seen Jack do in his frenzied state. “When I saw you were missing too, I —.” They both knew she could bluff her way out of just about anything but even stalling the boy could have had consequences that she didn’t care to think about should something have gone wrong, should whatever he was clearly feeling and hearing overrule completely.

“Bit bumps and bruises, no real, lasting harm done. He’s scared too, Samuel. You boys need to remember that, he’s just a wee thing trapped up with the powers of an archangel...”

She didn’t need to say she was sorry, he knew. “Please don’t give up on that boy, Samuel, he didn’t mean to do it. He still needs his kin. He could have forced me to try and do that spell after I said no and he _didn’t_ , I think that still says a bit of something.” Rowena spoke softly, willing him to side with her on it and not being so wrapped up in anger about it like his brother was. A nod was all she got in reply and that was enough for now. She supposed proper words would come from him in the morning and that was okay, she’d been fairly mute after she left the bunker when she found out about Fergus too.

Their lives were so paralleled and all wrapped up into one that it almost hurt sometimes, how’d they both get stuck with such dumb luck? How much pain could a person really take before the cup ran over, it had to have hundreds of times at least by now for this family and that didn’t make watching them never give up on it any easier. Sometimes, she wished they could all just slow down, enjoy what's left of their own lives because one of these days they were going to run out of favours and godly interventions and what a day that would be when it happened.

Eventually, after the mild sedative from his tea had started to take effect, which earned her a painfully annoyed look and grunt from the giant, Rowena pulled back from literally the longest hug she’d ever given and received in her life and coaxed Sam up and out of his jacket, setting it aside before taking his bag to the bedroom for him to hopefully get some semblance of sleep. His protest about taking her bed was cut short when Rowena assured him she still had some things to take care of and would be in later. 

She wouldn’t, but he needn’t know that. He needed the sleep far more than she did tonight.

Cementing her forming decision with a small sigh, Rowena closed the door behind her and moved to sit down at her desk, clasping her hands together in reflection before reaching for the nearest spell book and cracking it open. She would help these boys of hers with Jack, with the angels, whatever they needed. Death herself be damned. She liked that boy dearly and it wasn’t like he could kill her, not really. That meant she had as good a chance as Jack’s three fathers did. It might hurt like a bitch but it was something.

She wouldn’t lose another child, not again, and she would help them get theirs back, nobody deserved to be a family again more than the Winchester’s and yes, maybe she was feeling a bit full of herself to count herself at that table but they were owed at least that much after everything they’d given up. All of them.

With that said, if these sleepovers were going to become a regular occurrence for the time being under a certain Winchester's anger ran out, she would need to get a bigger bed. Sam looked like Goldie Locks trying to sleep in the baby’s bed, his legs were just hanging right off the end and it just looked bloody ridiculous, she should really take some photos to show the angel. That might cheer him up.

And should that sleeping giant in the next room over bring her breakfast the next morning in quiet thanks well then, it was certainly a start anyway.


End file.
